Music
Evangeline Playboys, Tribute to Austin Pitre (Electric Nouveau Records)
The Evangeline Playboys’ Tribute to its late bandleader Austin Pitre (1918-1981) was spearheaded by guitarist/vocalist Bobby Michot in 1999 to honor one of the most iconic figures of trad dancehall Cajun music. Pitre was a talented bandleader who played accordion and fiddle and was strong enough to not use a shoulder strap while playing the loud little box.
Katy Hobgood Ray, Long Way To Go (Confetti Park)
Just when you think Katy Hobgood Ray is quite the overachiever with the recent co-write of a book (Snoozer Quinn: Freestyle Jazz Guitar Pioneer), Confetti Park, a kid-friendly radio show/podcast, and a budding discography of Americana/children’s recordings, she dusts off a cache of 15-20-year-old songs written by her, her husband David Ray, Northwest Louisiana singer-songwriter Ted Lindsay and college bandmate Noah Slater. She enlisted The Music Shed’s Jack Miele (of The Molly Ringwalds fame) to produce these songs that deserved more than just skeleton guitar and vocals.
Michael Doucet and Tom Rigney, Roll On (Parhelion Records)
For several years running, Bay Area fiddler Tom Rigney would coordinate a handful of gigs with BeauSoleil’s Michael Doucet, supported by Rigney’s band Flambeau.
Kevin Naquin & Cajun Preservation, La Musique Traditionnelle Débranchée (Swallow Records)
Kevin Naquin’s previous two albums, 2014s No Guarantees and 2018s Man in the Mirror were somewhat progressive as various songs from the canon of American popular music were fused with his Cajun accordion.
Johnny Nicholas Presents Moon and the Stars, A Tribute to Moon Mullican, Volumes 1 & 2 (Valcour Records)
Johnny Nicholas Presents Moon and the Stars, A Tribute to Moon Mullican, Volumes 1 & 2. When it comes to vintage country music, Moon Mullican isn’t the most recognizable name like his buddy Hank Williams or western swing king Bob Wills. Yet, enthusiasts of the genre are probably familiar with a few originals the “King of the Hillbilly Piano Players” left behind, like “I’ll Sail My Ship Alone” and “Pipeliner Blues” that occasionally pop up in the repertoires of others.
Johnny Angel and Helldorado, Step Aside (Deuce Records)
Johnny Angel and Helldorado, Step Aside
Sean Ardoin and Kreole Rock & Soul Featuring LSU Golden Band From Tigerland, Full Circle (Zydekool Records)
Sean Ardoin and Kreole Rock and Soul Featuring LSU Golden Band From Tigerland. A while back, Sean Ardoin was at the LSU-Auburn football game when divine inspiration struck. Why not take a few of his songs that would fit a marching band, like LSU’s Golden Band From Tigerland, and do a one-of-a-kind recording with his own Kreole Rock & Soul aggregation?
Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters, Mélange (Fruge Records)
Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters, Mélange. Soon after Joe Hall’s Proud to be Creole release dropped in 2021, the torch-bearing Creole music accordionist couldn’t wait to get in the studio again with gifted fiddler Cedric Watson and monster bassist Chuck Bush.
Bookmark: Burt Feintuch, Creole Soul (University of Mississippi Press)
Burt Feintuch, Creole Soul. It’s always an honor whenever someone from inside the culture films a documentary or writes about their cultural music. But when someone outside the culture documents it, it becomes even more significant since it’s viewed from an unbiased, unattached perspective. Such a statement is echoed by the book Creole Soul by Burt Feintuch. In addition to being an academic and a musician, he has written about regional cultures, roots music, and North American revival music since the ’70s.
